The evolution towards internet protocol (IP) based service networks may entail the use of modular and horizontal service frameworks. Although currently there are several different systems and frameworks being employed, such as PARLAY, PARLAY X, and Web Services, there is no working system that meets such requirements as: the providing of controlled access for network resources; the integration of different frameworks into a common open standard framework; and, the providing of modular components for assembling integrated data and voice services. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a policy management system as an independent service enabler to provide centralized controlled access to resources and bring such frameworks together in a uniform way that would allow entities, such as companies, to manage services and resources in a consistent and cohesive manner.